1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a weighted structure that is removably attachable to a racquet, such as a tennis racquet, so that a player is able to use the racquet, with the present invention attached, during pre-practice and pre-game warm-up.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Tennis is a sport enjoyed by countless numbers of players all across the country. Although tennis is considered a relatively active and high paced sport, both younger as well as older players hit the tennis courts with passion and zeal. Like other athletic endeavors, tennis players understand the importance of warming up prior to a practice or a game. Warming up allows the players muscles to become warmed up and stretched which helps increase the player's on court performance and helps minimize the potential for injury or muscle pull, especially in light of the fact that tennis is considered a high impact sport.
In addition to a regiment of some standard basic muscle stretches, many tennis players will perform various tennis swings with the tennis racquet at reduced speed in order to mimic the moves that will be placed upon the person's body during the practice session or game, thereby targeting the specific muscle groups to be used at the specific angles involved in the game. Players often place weights onto the tennis racquet in order to more fully pre-stress the muscles being challenged.
One method to add weight to the tennis racquet during warm-up is to use a warm-up specific racquet that is designed to weigh more than a typical tennis racquet. The purpose of such a racquet is strictly for warm-up purposes and is not designed for game play. While effective, such racquet are burdensome in that they must be carried by the player in addition to the player's other racquet or racquets and otherwise take up an inordinate amount of space.
Another method to add weight to the racquet is by attaching a weight member to the racquet, typically either proximate the sweet spot of the strings or to the racquet frame at the tip of the frame or where the throat of the racquet meets the head. While reasonably effective, such weight member additions are not without their problems. Weight members that are attached to the strings can cause the strings to stretch, especially if the weight member is fairly heavy and/or the player is aggressive during warm-up. Additionally, such weights tend to be relatively cumbersome to attach to and remove from the racquet. Furthermore, due to the placement of the weight at one area of the racquet, the weight concentrates the weight thereat and leaves the racquet fairly unbalanced so as to give less than ideal warm-up system.
What is needed is a device that attaches to a game usable tennis racquet in order to provide additional weight to the racquet for warm-up purposes, which device overcomes the above mentioned shortcoming currently found in the art. Such a weight device needs to be easy to attach to and remove from the racquet without fear of causing damage to the racquet either during install or during use. Such a device must spread its mass over a large area of the racquet head so as to give the user a more natural and balanced feel during warm-up sessions using the device. Ideally, such a device should be relatively simple in design and construction so as to be readily affordable to potential consumers of such devices